One
thing you aren't told when you are young is that a lot of time of your
retirement years--the 'golden years'--will be spent going to doctors and
sitting in their offices for hours to spend 10 minutes with them. Most
of them will prescribe medicines whether you have something wrong with
you or not and don't dare cough or you will have to take double the
dose!! Did I mention you will spend hours, that will add up to days, on
tables having c-scans, MIRs, Ultra Sounds and X-rays
taken, whether you need them or not. The one thing you must remember is
that you do have a say in your health problems and solutions.

My
'drugstore'--a cabinet in my kitchen cupboard. I get a 3 month supply
of each med 4 times a year plus some of the docs have given me samples.
Last month I stopped all reorders of prescriptions until I get down to a
2 week supply!

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I am currently taking:
Bepreve (temporary)        Lorazepam (only 1/2 mg--all in my head)  Klor-con (1 a day)
Cephalexin (temporary)     Furosemide (40 mg a day)    Simvastatin (80 mg a day)
Atenolol (25mg a day)       Clobex (temporary)    Spiriva (1 a day)  Advair (2 puffs a day)
Nasacort (2 sprays each nostril)  Warfarin (4mg a day)   Finasteride ( 5mg once a day)
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In addition I take a multi-vitamin, vitamin C, Vitamin D and Folic Acid.
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Just
a brief explanation. I very seldom went to doctors before I had
congestive heart failure in 1999-2000 over the New Year's weekend.
Before I knew it I was going to doctors every 4-6 weeks and then after I
had my aorta valve replacement operation I was seeing 10---count
them--10---specialists plus my primary. Two years ago I said "No more!"
and decided, aside from seeing my primary, who I respect and can work
with, for complete blood work twice a year, I would only see the
specialists once a year and that would only be in June and July and only
on Monday and Tuesdays. When I told that to my new Ears, Nose and
Throat doc the other day  he laughed, thought it was great and told me
to remember that he was there the other 11 months of the year!
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A
month after I finish seeing all the specialists--to give my primary
time to get all their reports--I will sit down with him and that's when
the  changes will take place. I want to eliminate at least 3 of the
medicines I take plus the temporary ones. I, also, want to stop the
vitamin C as I mainly took it when I was smoking and I get enough
naturally. I don't think I need  to take the folic acid anymore and will
check on the vitamin D. I refuse to take anymore cat scans, MIRs or
Ultra Sounds more than once and the doctors can share the information on
the ones I take.
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The reports so far:
Pulmonary doctor--Breathing: mild abnormality
Nose,
Ear and Throat doc--Ear: as good as you will hear, Nose: "looks like
you have been in a few fights" (Huh?) Throat: seems to be clear

Cardiac Specialist: 'see you next year--at least 11 pounds lighter'
Eye
Physician and Surgeon: "Cataracts have grown a bit--that is
natural--nothing to worry about--take these eye drops, Bepreve, for a
week"
Urologist (shares office with the above): PSA fine--cholesterol okay
Dermatologist:
Psoriasis on back of head looks better--because of blood thinner the
'tags' and other 'bumps' he froze/burnt off haven't healed yet but
nothing cancerous
Podiatrist: "You do get 6 free visits a year under your HMO." "See you next year doc."
Dentist: Had a cleaning and x-rays taken--everything okay'
My PSA is low, my cholesterol okay and my blood pressure runs 115-120 over 75-80.

All
in all for a 75 year old man who smoked 2-3 packs a day for 60 years,
abused the body with food for more than half that time and
didn't/doesn't exercise, all in all things are looking good--at least as
of this moment!
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"When you ain't got nothing, you're happy with whatever you can get"
                   Wanda Tiger, a member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe